Analysts predict iPhone X and iPhone SE will be discontinued this year

Apple isn’t due to launch new iPhones until the fall this year. It’s believed that the company is going to launch three new iPhones this year. Analysts John Donovan and Steve Mullane at BlueFin Research Partners claim that the company is significantly ramping up the production of its upcoming iPhone models.

The analysts say that Apple remains unconcerned about the demand for its smartphones in 2018-2019. It’s initially expected to produce 91 million units of the three new models combined in the last two calendar quarters of this year and may follow that up with an additional 92 million units combined in the first two quarters of this year.

Its new models may lead the charge next year as the analysts expect that Apple will discontinue production of the iPhone X probably in Q3 2018. They also expect the company to stop selling the cheaper iPhone SE as well. The iPhone X was Apple’s first smartphone with an OLED display. The company is now expected to launch two iPhones with OLED screens while the third model will have an LCD screen so it’s going to be a bit cheaper.

The slow pace of overall smartphone upgrades kept global smartphone shipments in check this year. Apple may be expecting demand to pick up as those who have held on to their handsets for longer may finally be looking to switch. Some may not have upgraded to the iPhone X given that it was a first-generation product. Those customers may also come into play towards the end of this year when it launches the second-generation iPhone X that will unquestionably address some concerns that users had with the iPhone X.

It remains to be seen if this claimed assumption on Apple’s part turns out to be true.